IN Canon-Mac Fall 2018 | Page 33

Education Special Section centered programs focus on the current interests of the child. Classrooms are set up in different sections, such as a kitchen, home, science area, reading nook, or water area, for kids to engage in social interactions with others and learn valuable skills based from play. Academic or didactic, teacher- directed programs are structured with a curriculum involving planned activities guided by teachers and designed to prepare students for a kindergarten- type setting. Either method for learning prepares young children for their future interactions, both socially and educationally. Finding the learning style that best suits your own child’s needs will set him/her up for success. K-12 Education It is early in education that students start to become competent in utilizing the tools needed in our society. Reading, writing, math and language skills are all core competencies that need to be mastered at a young age and are critical for a student’s success. Education is being shaped by incorporating different styles of teaching, accessing new technologies to enhance learning, and ensuring that students leave high school with a sense of confidence to enter the workforce or to continue on to higher education. A variety of trends, disruptions and technologies are shaping the way K-12 schools face their biggest challenges. Engage Parents and Caregivers Parents can’t advocate for their children if they aren’t given the tools to do so. The National Education Association states that by monitoring, supporting, and advocating for their students, parents and caregivers can ensure that their children have an opportunity to be successful in school. By working with your students to set goals, make sure they are on track for academic success, holding them responsible for their education, and advocating for them, their peers, and their entire school community, you are doing a service that will have a valuable outcome for all involved. Data and Analytics Relationships between K-12 teachers and college educators used to be solely focused on college transition programs. Now, the focus is shifting to partnerships based on formal research studies, professional development, or joint technology and curriculum initiatives, as EdTech Online states. Data-driven research is being gathered and assessed by college educators and results are being implemented in the form of metrics to keep individual students on track to graduate. If an individual student falls “off track,” teachers utilize that information to determine a course of academic intervention. This form of individualized learning is being employed across the country with positive results. Continued on next page > CANON-MAC ❘ FALL 2018 31